NEW YORK, Switzerland (AP) — Bodo/Glimt is a soccer story as timeless and feel-good as the divisive, cash-heavy game it is. Super league project finally ends this month. The timing seems downright ironic.
in champions league draw Manchester City’s potential opponents in the round of 16 on Friday were two teams representing vastly different visions of European football.
Bodø/Glimt, a homely and modest club from a small Norwegian fishing village, or the aristocratic Real Madrid. led the super league In the direction of trying to destroy the Champions League.
“I think it’s important for modern football that clubs like ours are very involved in this issue,” Bodø/Glimt chief executive Frode Thomassen told The Associated Press at UEFA headquarters after his club partnered with Sporting Lisbon.
Man City were previously given another option, playing two back-to-back midweek games against Real Madrid. for 5 consecutive seasons. This will be the 12th and 13th time they have faced each other in the Champions League in just over six years.
This is the kind of regular fixtures that Madrid, Man City and 10 other prestigious members of Super League wanted when they planned their exit from UEFA in April 2021.
Bodo/Glimt’s Super Journey
In April 2021, Bodø/Glimt had not even been invited to the Super League and had never played in the European Cup or Champions League.
Super League collapsed within 48 hours following a backlash from fans and MPs, particularly in England.
Five years later, Bodo/Glimt are Champions League standouts, winning four straight in five weeks against the wealthy Super League founders. man city, atlético madrid and Inter Milantwice. Since Tuesday’s victory at San Siro, Bodø/Grimz Instagram followers The number has doubled to more than 400,000.
“We deserve to be here right now,” Thomassen said. “It’s not always about the money. It’s about the people and the effort we put into them. It’s about making sure we take another step forward every year.”
Champions League debut
Bodo/Glimt’s Champions League debut was in July 2021, in a low-key first round qualifying match. The inaugural Norwegian champions lost 3-2 to Legia Warsaw at the small Aspumila Stadium, then lost 2-0 in Poland.
It was the beginning of a magical run through Europe. Bodø/Glimt switch to the qualifying round of the 1st European Conference League, after 18 games They lost to Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the quarter-finals.
In 2022 and 2024, Bodø/Glimt lost in the Champions League play-off round in August. Last season, the transition to the Europa League ended in the semi-final against Tottenham.
Last August, Bodø/Glimt cracked the code. Another Norwegian title put the team directly into the qualifying playoffs, but Sturm Graz were easily defeated.
The elite stage has arrived after steady progress under Thomassen and coach Ketil Knudsen, who joined Bodø/Glimt in 2017. a group of loyal staff.
Like Lester?
Thomassen laughs at comparisons with Leicester English Premier League title In 2016, it was a near miracle in modern sports.
“Leicester and those clubs had a much bigger structure than us,” he said, looking back at the club nine years ago. “We had only 40 employees, including players, and our budget totaled 4.2 million euros ($5 million).
“We have a lot of people who have been on the journey with us. We are a small group, but we have a lot of heart and passion for the game and the work they do.
love like family
“It’s like family,” Thomasen said. “For some people, a hug is just a hug. When you see players hugging and seeing each other every day, it’s like a relationship built on respect and, in a way, love.”
From the start of the Champions League until December, they had 0 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses, “struggling a bit,” but he believes the team’s growth was mainly due to the team-first mentality of the Norwegian and Danish players.
“We often see that there are individual elements to the opponent’s play, some of which are at a very high level,” Thomassen said. “We are more of a team, a solid team.”
money follows success
UEFA’s prize money is starting to pile up, exceeding 26 million euros (about $30 million) last season and now approaching amounts like the 61 million euros (about $72 million) that Club Brugge earned when they reached the round of 16 of the Champions League last season.
A win against Sporting would earn them a 12.5 million euro ($14.8 million) bonus from UEFA for a quarter-final match against Arsenal or Bayer Leverkusen.
“It’s not necessarily about the money. It’s about the people and the effort you put into it,” Thomasen said. “That’s one of our main ideas: to stay grounded.”
Still, a new stadium, the 10,000-seat Arctic Arena, is being built on the outskirts of town.
“For the world of football, it’s a beautiful thing for a club like us to be among the final 16 clubs left in the Champions League,” Thomassen said.
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